A Loss for Words
by TheKingdomofWaffles
Summary: When Castle smashes Beckett's heart, Lanie takes matters into her own hands. Can she save their lost relationship? Takes place after Castle leaves with Gina in the season finale.
1. Chapter 1

Kate Beckett was at a loss for words.

Wasn't this what he wanted? She had finally seen the light of day and realized that she liked Castle back. She was just about to tell him that when his stupid ex-wife waltzed up and whisked him away for the summer.

She hated to admit it, but she was actually going to miss him. Now more than ever. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to get by, his hare-brained theories were occasionally helpful.

_Quit it, Kate, _she chastised herself. _ You were getting along just fine until he came along. You're just making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be._

She was suddenly overcome with a wave of anger at herself. If she had only said yes to the Hamptons when he first asked, this wouldn't be happening.

Beckett let out annoyed sigh. She couldn't be mad at herself for about that. Her reasons for saying no were rock solid... she couldn't handle being away from work for that long.

"Yo Beckett, you okay?" Espisito asked, walking up to where Beckett was sitting on her desk.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "I'm just going to finish this paperwork and leave."She pointed to the stack that had accumulated on her desk.

Espisito shrugged and left her alone.

She sighed and began the rather boring task at hand.

For once, Rick Castle didn't know how to feel.

He had vowed not to let this one get away, one was one too many. So he had let her go.

But wasn't that just as bad? Maybe even worse? He had given up in both cases, first on Kyra, and now on Beckett.

And they both hurt just the same.

Castle was having a hard time paying attention to the woman at his side. Gina. Why had he married her? He had honestly forgotten.

"...Aren't you excited?" she practically squealed.

"Huh?" said Castle, snapping out of his trance.

"Aren't you excited?" she repeated expectantly.

He nodded and stared at the closed elevator doors.

Gina frowned. "You're thinking about _her_ again, aren't you?"

Castle looked up and gave her a guilty nod.

She scowled at him. "I would say go back if you can't stand not thinking about him for more than two seconds, but you have a book to write."

_Right. _He thought. _A book._

It was going to be a long summer.


	2. Lanie on the Warpath

Lanie Parish was astounded.

What the hell was Castle doing? Beckett was finally about to give him what he wanted, but he just _had_ to run off to the Hamptons with some bleach-blonde bimbo.

Ryan, Lanie, and Captain Montgomery all watched as Espisito left to talk to Beckett.

"Yo Beckett, you okay?" He asked her, walking up to where she was sitting on her desk.

Her look of shock was replaced by a look of sadness. "Yeah, I'm fine." Liar. "I'm just going to finish this paperwork and leave." She pointed to a huge stack of it on her desk.

_Oh no you're not, _thought Lanie. _At least not if I have anything to do with it. _

Espisito shrugged and came back into the break room.

"Anybody else want to try?" He asked them.

Lanie raised her hand and walked out the door.

Beckett looked up at Lanie with tear-filled eyes eyes when she reached her desk.

"Stand up," Lanie commanded.

Beckett gave her the most confused look a marginally depressed person could manage. "W-- why?" She asked, but complied.

"You need a hug," Lanie declared. Beckett nodded and fell into her friend's embrace. When she pulled back, her face was soaked with tears.

Lanie grabbed Beckett's coat off her desk. "Come on. We're leaving."

Beckett wasn't particularly excited, but she didn't try to fight either. She was smart enough to know that she had no choice.

Lanie led the way to the elevator as Beckett put her coat on. They made their way down to the ground floor, where they stepped outside and hailed a cab.

............................

Lanie sighed as she dug through her purse. "I lost my key," she muttered.

Beckett handed it to her. "You dropped it when we were coming in."

"Thanks, Kate," Lanie said as she jammed her key into the lock. The door opened and they both walked in.

"You, sit," Lanie commanded Beckett, who obliged and sat down on the couch.

"You want some wine or something?" Lanie yelled from the kitchen.

Under normal circumstances, Beckett would have been amused by the various _clank_s and _crash_es coming from Lanie rummaging around, but not now.

"No, I'm fine." Beckett called back to her.

"Well too bad, because I'm pouring you a glass anyways," was Lanie's reply. Beckett almost laughed.

Lanie walked over to the couch with two wine glasses and a bottle.

"So what happened with Castle?" She asked, pouring them both a glass.

Beckett sighed. "I was just about to tell him I liked him that I liked him when his _ex-wife_ Gina came running up.

Lanie had figured that much. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath.

"Hey Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Lanie raised an eyebrow. "Now what on Earth did I do to deserve a 'thanks'?"

"You listened."

"Hon, I would have been a fool not to," she said.

Beckett cracked a small grin, but it was short-lived.

Now it was Lanie's turn to grin. Evilly, as a matter of fact. She had just had an idea that wouldn't _fix_ the situation, but it would at least put Castle in his place.

She turned to Beckett. "You wouldn't happen to know Alexis' number, would you?" she handed Beckett a piece of paper so she could write it down.

Beckett raised an eyebrow, but scribbled the number down anyway. It was a good thing she was so sad, because if she was one hundred percent alert, she would have been on to Lanie in an instant. She _is _a trained detective.

"Thanks!" Lanie said, taking the paper. "I'm gonna go order a pizza, m'kay?"

Beckett nodded blankly. Lanie felt awful for her... Castle was going to pay.

Lanie ran into her bedroom and started dialing like mad.

"Hello?" Alexis answered.

"Hi, is this Alexis?" Lanie asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Lanie Parish, a medical examiner at the NYPD. I work with your dad."

Alexis sighed on the other end. "What did he do this time?"

Lanie stifled a laugh. "You know Detective Beckett, right?"

"Right..."

"And you like her?"

"Yeah, I like her a lot," Alexis replied.

"That's good. And your dad likes her too, right?"

"Right again..."

"Well, Kate was about to tell that she liked him back when he and his ex-wife Gina took off for the Hamptons before she could even finish," Lanie babbled at top speed.

There was silence on this other end. "I never did like that one," Alexis said.

Lanie smiled. "So you will talk to him?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Alexis!"

"You're welcome," Alexis said. "Bye!"

"Goodbye," Lanie said, laughing a little.

Lanie hung up on her and started ordering the pizza.

...................................

Alexis punched her dad's number into her phone. _Poor Kate, _she thought. _She must be heartbroken._

Castle picked up the phone almost immediately. "Hey. honey! Is everything alright?" He asked her.

"Hi, Dad!" She said. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Do you need me to take care a boy for you? Because if you do, I'll make sure he spends the rest of his life in wheelchair."

Alexis grinned. This was going to be fun. "Really?"

"Of course, Sweetie."

"Thanks... his name is Richard Castle."

"What did I do?"

"You know Detective Beckett was about to tell you that she liked you?" Alexis said in an angry tone.

Castle fell silent. "She-- she was?"

"Yes. She was. But you just HAD to take off with Gina. I knew she was bad news right from the start!"

"Well what do I do now?"

"Fix it."

And with that, Alexis hung up.

............................................

I know Alexis and Lanie were probably a little OOC. Whoops. So tell me what ya think! And the only way for that to happen is for you to REVIEW! Virtual cookies for all who do!


	3. Return of the Heartbreaker

Castle sighed. It had indeed been a long summer,and not even two weeks had passed. He and Gina ad gotten in a fight on the third day, and he still hadn't gotten any writing done.

The call from Alexis hadn't helped anything. He was aware of what he did, but he had no idea how to fix it. Beckett- Kate- might not forgive him this time.

Maybe that was the key- getting her to forgive him. Then he could stop worrying about it and write.

That would mean going back to New York. Was it worth it?Would he actually be able to get any writing done?

Well he obviously wasn't accomplishing anything here. It was worth a shot... what did he have to lose?

_What the hell,_ Castle decided as he ran up the stairs. He went into his room-, well the room he and Gina were sharing- and started throwing clothes in a bag.

"What are you doing?" Gina all but snarled at him upon her entrance.

Busted. He had completely forgotten to account for her.

"I'm going back," he told her. "This obviously isn't working."

"Fine," she said.

Castle was shocked. He was prepared for her wrath, but not this. There had to be something else coming for him.

"But I want the next chapter by next Thursday."

A week. That as enough time... at least he hoped so.

"Deal," he said, finalizing it.

Gina glared at him and stalked out of the room.

He could care less at this point. There was only one person he cared about right now, and she wasn't here.

...

Castle walked up the familiar stairs into the familiar lobby of the familiar precinct. He had missed this place in the two weeks he had been gone.

He walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the twelfth floor. (AN: I just made that up. I have no idea what floor they're on)

The elevator dinged and he got off. He walked over to Beckett's desk- he had missed that, too.

Beckett walked out of the break room drinking from a mug of coffee. When she gained sight of him, she widened her eyes and dropped her mug, which shattered into large ceramic shards.

"Castle?" She asked, stunned.

He gave her a guilty grin. She glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly. "Don't you have a _book_ to write?"

"I wasn't getting any writing done," he told her.

"Didn't you leave because you couldn't get any writing done_ here?_" she practically growled.

"Yes, I know," he said sadly. "And I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't pay the bills, Castle," she said, beginning to pick up the pieces of shattered mug.

Castle walked over to where Beckett was cleaning up and bent down to help her.

"I don't need help," she snapped.

"Kate, I-" he began.

"Fine, if you want to help, go to the bathroom and get some paper towels."

He nodded and walked into the bathroom. He hoped that if he stayed on her good side, she might forgive him. Maybe. She wasn't going to drop it as easily this time and he knew it.

Castle walked back out to the site of the spilled coffee. He handed her the paper towels and she started mopping up the mess.

"Thanks, Castle," she said with a sigh before getting up to get another cup of coffee.

Castle started mopping what little of the coffee she had left behind.

Beckett walked out of the break room just as he was finishing. He got up to throw his soggy paper towels away as she sat down at her desk.

"Castle?" Esposito asked when Castle came into the break room.

Castle looked up at him and gave Esposito another guilty grin.

Suddenly he dropped the grin and sighed. "She hates me now, doesn't she?"

Esposito nodded, sipping his coffee. "Pretty much. You broke her heart, and know you have to pick up the pieces."

Castle nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Esposito left the break room, leaving Castle alone with his thoughts. Beckett definitely was not going to forgive him as easily as she did the last time.

But he didn't care. He might have been have been the kind of person who made the mistake twice, but he would make sure that this one never reoccurs. He felt differently about Beckett than he did other women. He loved her. The other cases had been mere lust. He _would_ make this right.

Castle sighed and walked out of the break room, preparing himself to pick up the pieces.

...

AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I never had enough time to get this typed, and when I had time, my genius dad had left the cord for the laptop at the lakehouse. And when I finally got around to typing it up yesterday, I didn't have internet. So it has been a very bumpy ride to get this chapter up. And don't forget... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


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